


connected stars don’t fall apart

by anothermistakemade



Series: connected stars don’t fall apart. [1]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Coma, F/F, F/M, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, Kevin-centric, Sort Of, Surgery, bad parent sheriff keller, betty cooper is a good bro, betty wants to be a better friend, black hood is a homophobe, derogatory term usage, joaquin comes back, kevin is shot, kevin keller needs a hug, set after 2x03
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-12
Updated: 2018-01-29
Packaged: 2019-03-03 17:32:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13346088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anothermistakemade/pseuds/anothermistakemade
Summary: Betty can’t tell Kevin what to do. He’ll run in Fox Forest all he wants. There isn’t any danger in it— until there is.or: Kevin is shot.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> PLEASE READ!!  
> this is my first riverdale fic i’ve ever written. i’m not very involved in the fandom. the idea for this series just kinda came to me, so here we are. i can’t imagine that this is problematic in any way, but if it is, please understand that that’s not my intent and, if you are inclined to do so, leave a gentle note in the comments. 
> 
> there is a lot coming for this series. there are so many ships on this show, and i want to explore them all, so hold tight because there’s something coming with your otp. i’ll explain more with each entry.

"You seem upset."

"I know," Betty sighed, putting her head in her hands. "I'm kind of ruining our date, aren't I?"

"No," Jughead shrugged. "We could be the first couple ever to drive to the middle of Fox Forest and just... talk."

"We shouldn't even be out here," Betty rose her head and nervously glanced at the trees outside the car. Just feet away, the Black Hood could have been lurking, waiting to kill them both. "Moose and Midge just--"

"We're not Moose and Midge," Jughead interrupted, placing his hand on Betty's thigh. "Don't think of it as a date, think of it as a... a stakeout."

Betty laughed softly, and the car fell into silence. "I'm just worried about Kevin," Betty began. "We had this huge fight, and he said I wasn't a good friend, and maybe I'm not--"

"--you are--"

"--and I guess I just never understood that he doesn't get this, dates at Pop's and sleepovers and cute kisses and confessions of love." Betty paused, thinking of Kevin's former relationships. They'd all been about sex, until Joaquin. That one was different. Kevin bragged about his Serpent boyfriend, was proud of him. They spent genuine time together. And then Joaquin had been ripped away from Kevin, leaving only Betty, who was busy with Jughead. "He must be so lonely."

"Betty, look at me," Jughead took Betty's face in his hands. "Don't blame yourself, Kevin--"

Gunshots. One, a pause, and another. Jughead saw the blood drain from Betty's face. 

"We need to go," Jughead put the key in the ignition and started the car. 

"No!" Betty grabbed his arm. "Whoever it is needs our help."

"The Black Hood might still be out there! We can't--"

Screaming. Loud, and unmistakably Kevin's. Betty was out of the car in seconds. 

"Kevin!" She shouted, running into the woods with Jughead on her tail. "Kevin!"

A weak cry came from the left, causing Betty to swiftly change directions. By the time se reached Kevin, he was covered in blood and struggling to breathe. 

"Kevin, oh my god, Kevin," Betty dropped to her knees, lifting her friend's head up. Her eyes trailed down from his face to his bare chest, and she gasped at the sight. Above a gunshot wound, the attacker had carved 'FAG' in large letters across Kevin's chest. 

"I tried to call 911," Jughead squatted next to Betty. "No service. We need to get closer to town, we need to get him to the car."

Overcome with adrenaline, Betty lifted Kevin and sprinted back to the clearing where they were parked. She yanked open the door of the still running car and placed Kevin's head in her lap. He was gasping, his chest compressing at odd intervals. Jughead slid into the driver's seat, threw the car into reverse, and flew out of the woods.

Betty sobbed the whole way to the hospital, one hand covering the bullet wound on his abdomen, the other on the similar wound on his back shoulder. Jughead remained calm, as always, flying down streets as he softly spoke to the 911 operator.

”We were in the woods... we heard shots... it’s Kevin Keller, the sheriff’s son... no, we’re already on the way to the hospital...”

Beneath her crying, Betty heard Kevin’s phone buzzing incessantly. Hoping it to be his father, she retrieved the phone from Kevin’s pocket, slid it into her own so she could call once they reached the hospital, and placed her hand back on the wound.

”You’re gonna be okay, Kev,” She whispered, not believing what she was saying. “Everything’s gonna be okay.”

* 

Jughead pulled up to the emergency doors of hospital, yanked the keys from the ignition, and picked Kevin out of the backseat. Hospital staff were waiting for them with a stretcher. Jughead carefully placed Kevin onto it, and the boy was whisked away into the depths of the hospital. Jughead and Betty remained just outside the doors, Betty’s eyes trained on where Kevin was put onto the stretcher. 

“This is my fault,” she mumbled. “He was out tonight because I yelled at him.”

“No,” said Jughead sternly, turning and taking Betty by the shoulders. “The Black Hood is a madman. There was no way for us to know that Kevin was his next target.”

Betty shook her head, shifting her gaze to her feet. “I’ve known Kevin since we were kids. I was the first person he came out to. He’s been there for me every step of the way, he knows everything about me. And sometimes I feel like I don’t know him at all.” She looked into Jughead’s eyes. “I can’t tell if it’s because he won’t talk to me, or if I won’t listen.”

”Betty, you’re a great friend—“

”Yeah, to you. And to Archie, and Veronica. But Kevin...” Betty sighed, then took a step forward to hug Jughead. “I just want him to be okay.”

*

The surgery took hours, and the hospital staff didn’t tell anyone in the waiting room, which was bursting at the seams, what was going on. Moose, who had only been discharged that morning, was the first to arrive. 

“What’s going on?” He ran up to Betty. The hospital band was still on his wrist. “Where’s Kevin?”

”He was shot, twice,” Jughead answered, his arm around Betty. “He’s in surgery right now.”

”Oh, god,” Moose slumped into the seat next to Jughead. “This town is going to shit.”

Sheriff Keller came next, a few policemen behind him. “Where’s my son?!?” He shouted to nobody in particular. “Where’s Kevin?!?”

”Sheriff, your son is in surgery,” A nurse approached him calmly. “In a few hours—“

”I need to see him, now,” the sheriff said sternly. 

“Hey,” one of the police officers put his hand on Keller’s shoulder, “why don’t you sit down and try to reach his mom? We’ll question the kids.” Keller nodded, retrieved the phone from his pocket, and took a seat in the corner. 

Suddenly, Betty remembered Kevin’s phone in her own pocket. Telling Jughead she needed to use the ladies’ room, she took the phone out of her pocket and wiped the blood off the screen. When she reached the bathroom, she avoided looking in the mirror and instead focused on cleaning off the phone. She knew she was covered from head to toe in her best friend’s blood, and her makeup was probably runny from her crying. She could feel loose strands from her disheveled ponytail on her neck. 

While trying to scrape dried blood from the case, Betty accidentally turned the phone on. The call from before wasn’t from his dad, but from someone completely unexpected. Without hesitation, Betty unlocked the phone and pressed call. 

*

By the time she got back from the bathroom, Veronica and Archie had arrived. Both of them looked like they had been crying. 

“Betty!” Veronica rushed over to her friend and hugged her fiercely. “It’s all over the news, half the town is on their way.”

”Must’ve been how Moose found out,” Betty muttered to herself. 

“How are you holding up?” Archie asked, his voice low and raw. 

“I’m just... scared, I guess. He’s been in surgery forever and I don’t even know if he’s going to make it,” She rested her head on Veronica’s shoulder, trying to make herself feel more comfortable. 

“I know how you feel,” said Archie sincerely. Betty closed her eyes and held onto Veronica until her phone started ringing. 

“Hello?” Betty answered, letting go of Veronica. 

“It’s me,” Alice replied. “Do you want me to come down there? To be with you?”

”N—“ Betty began to answer, but stopped. “Actually, yes. I kinda need my mom right now.”

”Okay, sweetheart. I’ll be there soon.”

*

Betty ended up asleep on her mother’s shoulder, with one hand entwined in Jughead’s. Veronica had left to bring back a change of clothes from the Cooper’s home, since Betty refused to leave. She was awoken by Jughead shaking her gently. 

“The police need to talk to us,” He whispered. Betty nodded, sitting up. 

“Is Kevin out of surgery?” She asked as she stretched her arms. 

“Not yet,” Jughead sighed. 

“What? I was asleep for—“

”Twenty minutes. C’mon, we need to go talk to them,” Jughead took Betty’s hand and helped her up. They followed a police officer to an empty room and sat down at the table inside. 

“I’m Officer Sherman, I’ll be conducting the interview since Sheriff Keller has a personal tie to the case. I assume you’re Betty Cooper and Jughead Jones, correct?” The couple nodded. “Okay. Do you both consent to the audial recording of this session?” They nodded again, and the officer took a small device from his pocket and turned it on. “Okay. Did either of you see the attacker?”

”No,” Betty responded. “We were sitting in the car, and we heard gunshots and someone screaming.”

”By the time we got there, the Black Hood was already gone,” Jughead finished. 

“We can’t confirm that this was the work of the Black Hood. I would avoid associating his name with the attack,” Sherman said, scribbling something on a notepad. 

“What?” asked Betty, irritated by Sherman’s statement. “How could this not be the Black Hood?”

”Calm down, Miss Cooper. Riverdale isn’t exactly a progressive town, it’s entirely possible this was some sort of hate crime the assailant hoped would get lumped in with the Black Hood.” 

“But everyone loves Kevin. The whole town is in that waiting room. I can’t imagine...” Betty trailed off, nervously clenching her fists. Jughead pulled one hand apart and held it. 

“Why don’t you tell me what you kids were doing out there tonight? Did you not hear about the attack on Moose and Midge just a couple of nights ago?” Sherman’s tone turned accusatory. 

“We weren’t doing drugs,” Jughead said quickly. “Or fooling around. We were...” He paused, looking from Betty to the officer. “We were hoping to catch the Black Hood ourselves, or find clues, or something.”

”So instead of trusting our investigation, you two thought you’d just go on and play Nancy Drew and get yourselves killed?” Sherman narrowed his eyes at the teens. 

“No!” Betty defended, her voice louder than necessary. “We were only trying to help!”

”I think you’d be better asking Kevin questions,” Jughead said, attempting to diffuse the tension in the room. “We didn’t see anything, just Kevin.”

Sherman nodded. “We’ll talk more after we get a statement from Mr. Keller. You two can go.” 

Jughead and Betty rose and left. “I can’t believe him,” Betty shook her head. “This was obviously the Black Hood!”

”I know, Betty, I know,” Jughead squeezed Betty’s hand. “We just have to wait and see what happens.”

”I hate waiting,” Betty grumbled, taking her seat next to her mother. 

“Betty,” Veronica walked in the room holding one of Betty’s backpacks. “I have your clothes.”

”Thanks, Ronnie,” Betty took the bag. “Will you come with me?” Veronica nodded. 

Betty gave herself a sink bath to get the blood off her skin, then changed in a bathroom stall. She came out and looked at herself in the mirror for the first time since she left for her date with Jughead. 

“I’m a mess,” She felt tears gathering in her eyes. 

“You’re allowed to be a mess for a little bit,” Veronica said softly. “Here,” She came up to Betty, holding a makeup wipe and a tube of mascara. Slowly, she wiped the ruined makeup from Betty’s face and put a little mascara on. She then got a hairbrush from the bag, took out Betty’s ruined ponytail, and brushed her hair back to make a new one. “Better?” She asked when she was done. 

Betty looked at herself again. She still looked exhausted, but not as disastrous. “Better,” she turned and hugged Veronica. “Thank you.”

*

The hours drug on, with most people either leaving or curling up in a chair to sleep. Betty had forgotten about Moose, but noticed him sitting blank-faced in the corner. 

“Hey,” she said, approaching him slowly. “How are you?” She took a seat next to him. 

“Confused. Scared,” Moose leaned forward and put his head in his hands. “I don’t think I’ve ever cried this much before.”

Betty laughed softly. “I know the feeling.” There was a pause. “So... why did you come? I mean, I know you and he used to... but you and Midge...”

”Kevin’s... I don’t know, special, I guess,” Moose sat up and rested his chin on his palm. “He’s different. He cares. I treated him like trash, and he still respected me. When I just wanted to have sex, he was there, but he came when I just wanted to talk, too.”

”He’s an amazing listener,” Betty smiled fondly. “And he gives really good advice, too.”

”Yeah,” Moose agreed. “I wish I’d let him talk every once in a while. God, I treated him like an object. A thing to have sex with or complain to,” He put his head back in his hands. “I’m such a dick.”

”You’re not,” Betty rubbed Moose’s back. “I did the same thing,” Moose raised his head to look at her strangely. “The talking thing, not the sex thing. I never listened to his problems. I mean, his boyfriend left and I don’t even know how he feels about it.” Betty shook her head. “This is a second chance. We can make things right when he wakes up.” 

*

”Kevin Keller’s family?” Everyone in the room stood. “Kevin Keller’s immediate family,” The nurse specified. Only Sheriff Keller and Betty remained standing. 

“I’ll tell you everything they say,” the sheriff told Betty, before following the nurse down a hallway. 

“He must be out of surgery,” Veronica said hopefully. 

“Or dead,” Archie mumbled. 

“Jesus, tone it down, edgelord,” Jughead said jokingly. Archie huffed and stood suddenly, marching out of the room. 

“Hang on, Archie!” Veronica and Jughead stood at the same time. 

“Let me take care of it,” Jughead jogged after Archie. 

“What’s wrong with him?” Betty asked incredulously as Veronica sat back down. 

“I don’t know,” Veronica sighed. “He was weird on the way over. I think he feels guilty for not having caught the Black Hood.”

”It’s not his job to,” Betty shook her head. “Everything’s falling apart.” Veronica nodded and put her head on Betty’s shoulder. 

“It’ll be okay,” whispered Veronica. “One day, this will all be over.”

*

Archie and Jughead were still gone when Sheriff Keller came storming into the room. Betty’s heart fell into her stomach, and a sob ripped from her throat. Alice was there in a heartbeat, letting her daughter fall into her arms. 

Veronica rushed to the nurse that had followed Sheriff Keller. “What’s going on?” she demanded. “Is Kevin...”

”Mr. Keller is still alive,” Veronica let out a sigh of relief. “His father struggled with seeing the physical impact of the attack on Kevin. He’ll come around.”

”Can we see him get?” Veronica knew she shouldn’t be excited in this situation, but the idea of the dreadful wait being finally over was too tempting. 

“Yes, but only a few at a time,” Veronica didn’t wait for the nurse to finish before she ran to Betty. 

“Betty! We can go see him!” She shouted as Alice pulled away. 

“What?” Betty asked, wiping the tears from her eyes. 

“Come on!” Veronica grabbed her friend’s hand and pulled her down the hall. 

“Room 207!” The nurse shouted after them. 

Veronica understood why Sheriff Keller was so disheartened. Kevin wasn’t awake yet, and his face was ghastly pale. If it weren’t for the shallow rise and fall of his chest and the beeping of his heart monitor, Veronica would’ve thought he was dead. Two huge bandages covered his whole chest and most of his abdomen, with another crawling up from his shoulder. A small tube came from behind his ear, dipped underneath his nose, and disappeared again. 

“He’s not breathing on his own?” Betty asked quietly. 

“No,” a doctor appeared in the doorway, “but he should be soon. He’s going to be just fine.”

”Thank god,” Betty smiled and sat down next to the bed. 

“The only thing is...” the doctor paused. “I assume you ladies are his close friends?” 

“Yes,” Betty and Veronica answered simultaneously. 

“Well, Mr. Keller will really need you two. I’m afraid we had to stitch the cuts on his pectoral region, and they’ll scar permanently," the doctor looked solemnly at Betty. "We tried, but the cuts were too deep. I'm sorry." He exited the room. 

"That's not bad!" Veronica beamed. "He's going to be fine!"

"No, V..." Betty looked sadly at the bandage on Kevin's chest. "The Black Hood carved fag into his chest. And now it'll be there forever."

Veronica gasped quietly. "Oh my god. That's terrible."

Betty bit her lip, tears forming in her eyes. "He doesn't deserve this. He's not a sinner, he's... he's just a kid."

"I know, B, I know..." Veronica placed her hand on Betty's shoulder. 

Moose came in shortly after and took a seat in the corner of the room. He didn't say a word, just stared at Kevin's sleeping face. He left after thirty minutes. 

Jughead and Archie returned almost an hour later, heads hung to the ground. "Where have you been?" Betty asked, turning from Kevin to face Jughead. 

"We talked to Sheriff Keller," Archie explained. "He needs time to process before he can come back."

"Oh," Betty looked back to Kevin. She couldn't imagine being shot twice and waking up without either parent there. She'd disagreed with Keller's parenting tactics over the years, but mostly blamed it on his wife being away. Nowadays, his actions became harder to excuse. 

*

It was hour three, Sheriff Keller was gone, and the remaining visitors were asleep, besides Betty. 

Twelve hours. Twelve hours ago, she was curled up with Jug in the forest. Kevin was fine. Everyone was okay. 

Betty began to drift off, her head leaning onto Veronica's shoulder, when she and the other three were jolted awake by someone barging in the door. There stood a pale boy with jet black hair and bright eyes. 

Betty focused her eyes on the ground, the others focused their eyes on the arrival, and Joaquin seemed to only notice Kevin. 

"Holy fuck," he mumbled, dropping a small bag onto the ground. He stumbled over to Kevin and fell to his knees beside the bed. "I'm so sorry, Preppy," he whispered, grabbing Kevin's hand with both of his. "I'm so sorry."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> joaquin adjusts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i added a third chapter because you guys really seemed to like this, which is awesome
> 
> as always, i didn’t proofread

Joaquin fell asleep with his head laying on the bed. Archie, Veronica and Jughead had left, all claiming to need sleep, all lying. Betty didn’t have time to wonder what was going on with Archie, or why Jughead didn’t seem to want to speak to her— there were more important things at hand. Sheriff Keller had yet to return, and wasn’t at the station according to the deputies Betty had spoken to on the phone. She’d sent her mom to go check on him, only to hear that Kevin’s dad wasn’t at home, either. 

Instead of sleeping, Betty held her phone in her lap. Deliriously, she believed that someone would call or text to tell her everything would be okay, or that it was just a nightmare. She’d texted Veronica a handful of times, asking her if she wouldn’t mind coming back, or keeping Betty company for a while, or bringing her some food. She never got a response. 

Betty was just beginning to drift off (against her will) when Joaquin awoke with a start, his chair flying back as he stood abruptly. For a moment, his eyes panicked in the dim light, then calmed again. 

“Sorry,” he murmured, pulling the chair back to its original position, but not sitting. “Do you need any food?” he asked as he fixed his messy hair. 

Betty was about to decline when she felt her stomach grumble softly. “Yeah, could you bring something up?” She reached into her pocket, but felt no wallet or crumpled up bills. 

“Don’t worry,” Joaquin said, sensing Betty’s intent. “I’ll pay.”

*

They ate their stale sandwiches in silence. Betty never had much interaction with Joaquin before he left, but she'd heard enough through Kevin. 

"So," she began an attempt at conversation, "how was San Junipero?"

Joaquin shrugged. "Nice. Lots of beach. And clubs." There was a prolonged silence. "Why'd you call me?" He asked, startling Betty with his bluntness. 

"Why'd you call Kevin?" Betty responded, thinking back to how she'd seen Joaquin's name on Kevin's phone, not his dad's.

"I call him everyday," Joaquin answered without hesitation. "He's never picked up." Betty nodded, chewing her unimpressive hospital food slowly. “So why’d you call?”

”I don’t know,” she admitted, setting her sandwich down on the napkin in her lap. “Kevin was in surgery, and I thought he was going to die, and I saw your name on his phone... I don’t know. I just called.”

”I’m glad you did.” 

And they fell back into silence, the only noise in the room being Kevin’s slow breathing. 

*

Betty accidentally fell asleep again, trying to catch up on the eight hours she missed the night Kevin was shot. She slept with and elbow on the chair’s armrest and her head laying on her fist. 

“Betty!” A soft hand shook her shoulder fiercely. “Betty, wake up!” She woke up suddenly, looking into Veronica’s eyes. Joaquin paced nervously in the background, hands in his hair. Her gaze flew to Kevin, hoping that he was awake, but his eyes stayed closed. 

“Sheriff Keller’s coming by,” Veronica said slowly. 

“That’s good! That’s— that’s not good," Betty's voice fell, and her gaze met Joaquin's. "You have to go, you have to hide somewhere."

"Uh, yeah, I know that," Joaquin stopped pacing. "There's gotta be a bathroom or something I could stay in until he leaves."

"Or a storage closet," Veronica suggested nonchalantly. 

And that was how Joaquin ended up crowd in a tiny closet, anxiously awaiting a message from Betty saying that it was safe to come out. 

Nearly an hour later, he got the green light and slipped out of the closet. He practically ran down the hall, desperate to get to Kevin, so focused that he didn't notice Sheriff Keller walking his direction. 

"How are you doing, Mr. DeSantos?" Keller asked politely, making Joaquin freeze. 

"Good. How are you?" Joaquin responded anxiously, waiting for the handcuffs and reading of his rights. 

"I'm holding up. Good to see you, son," And then Keller's walking away. Joaquin exhaled, clutching his chest, and started back towards Kevin's room. 

Preppy was awake. 

"Kevin!" Joaquin exclaimed, running towards Kevin's bed with a grin on his face. "Fuck, I missed you." He reached out to take Kevin's hand, then paused, waiting for his reaction. 

"I missed you, too," Kevin said warmly, taking Joaquin's hand.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading, and hold tight for more in the series. please leave a comment!


End file.
